Sports Can Alex Ovechkin become the NHL's all-time goal-scoring king?

19:42 13 march 2018

19:42 13 march 2018 Source:
theScore

Alex Ovechkin joins NHL's exclusive 600-goal club

Alex Ovechkin joins NHL's exclusive 600-goal clubThe captain of the Washington Capitals scored twice Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets to reach the milestone in his 990th regular-season game. Ovechkin became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to 600 behind only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Brett Hull.

But "The Great One" may one day cede one of his most impressive marks - the league record in goals - to "The Great 8." With his next tally, Washington Capitals uber-sniper Alex Ovechkin will move into a tie with Pat LaFontaine for 53rd on the NHL ' s all - time goals list.

With his next tally, Washington Capitals uber-sniper Alex Ovechkin will move into a tie with Pat LaFontaine for 53rd on the NHL ' s all - time goals list. Ovechkin is a born goal scorer , and should stay productive for several more seasons.

Despite having been retired for 19 years, Wayne Gretzky still owns more than 50 NHL records - and it's fair to say that most of them are safe.

But the Great One may one day cede one of his most impressive marks - the league record in goals - to the Great Eight.

Washington Capitals uber-sniper Alex Ovechkin became the newest member of the 600-goal club Monday, and the sixth-fastest in history to reach the milestone. Considering that Ovechkin won't turn 33 until September, it's time to ponder whether he has a legitimate shot at becoming the league's all-time goals leader by the time his career is done.

Where he stands

Alex Ovechkin joins NHL's exclusive 600-goal club

Everyone around Alex Ovechkin had a hunch this was his night.His wife, Nastya, had flown back from Moscow just in time. Coach Barry Trotz noticed Ovechkin was unusually quiet.By the time he scored the 599th goal of his career, Ovechkin sensed it, too. Less than four minutes into the second period of the Washington Capitals' game against the Winnipeg Jets, Ovechkin put back a rebound and skated into the spotlight as the latest member of the NHL's 600-goal club.The Russian superstar scored twice to reach the milestone in typical Ovechkin fashion, becoming the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to 600 behind only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Brett Hull.

Alex Ovechkin , who just turned 30 in September, is already in the top 50 goal scorers in NHL history. Is there any chance he can finish his career as the NHL ’ s all time goal scoring champion?

But "The Great One" may one day cede one of his most impressive marks - the league record in goals - to "The Great 8." With his next tally, Washington Capitals uber-sniper Alex Ovechkin will move into a tie with Pat LaFontaine for 53rd on the NHL ' s all - time goals list.

Entering the Capitals' upcoming home-and-home set with the New York Islanders, Ovechkin has 600 goals in 990 career regular-season games.

More significantly, Ovechkin averages 0.606 goals per game over his career - the sixth-highest rate of all time, and 0.05 goals ahead of Gretzky himself, who set the standard with 894 goals. Two guys ahead of Ovechkin - Cy Denneny and Babe Dye - played when 24-game seasons were the norm, while two others - Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux - saw their chances at the goal-scoring crown curtailed by injury.

Based solely on goals per game, Ovechkin has an excellent chance at racking up enough scores to pass Gretzky. But he's still trailing the Great One by 294 goals, so it'll take a lot of work.

What he needs

Health

Ovechkin's had the good fortune to remain relatively healthy, which is by far the biggest contributing factor to his run at the crown. He credits a thorough training regimen with helping him stay on the ice, but every fan knows it doesn't take much for a player to wind up on the sidelines. Ovechkin needs to stay healthy - not just for now, but into the twilight of his career.

Production

It's one thing to look at Ovechkin's goals-per-game output and extrapolate future production based on that number. But it isn't always that simple; Gretzky averaged an absurd .823 goals per game over his first 10 seasons before the well began to dry up. Ovechkin is a born goal-scorer, and should stay productive for several more seasons. But projecting a 0.606 GPG pace beyond even the next three years is optimistic.

Motivation

Ovechkin seems satisfied to be playing in the top hockey league in the world. Then again, so did Jaromir Jagr before he stunningly bolted for Europe, spending three seasons overseas and effectively taking himself out of the running for the goal-scoring record. There's no indication Ovechkin would do the same - but it has happened before. And if he did, he'd have virtually no chance of catching Gretzky, even if he did return.

Ovechkin, Laine share goals lead with head-to-head on deck

The NHL's current goal leaders are set to go head-to-head in Washington on Monday. Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets scored his 40th goal of the season in a loss to Philadelphia Saturday, remaining red hot and drawing even with Alex Ovechkin for a share of the league lead.A 40-goal season and 15 in his last 11 games. Yes, @PatrikLaine29 is definitely a scoring machine. pic.twitter.com/gzqxYnS7Ne— NHL (@NHL) March 10, 2018For his part, Ovechkin failed to hit the back of the net in a win in San Jose later in the day.Up next for the the two star wingers is a Monday showdown as the Jets visit the Capitals.

#Caps Alex Ovechkin becomes the first player in NHL history to score 20 career Overtime goals pic.twitter.com/3v7PpB3pKl. — Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 21, 2017. Alan May was very happy in Bethesda.

Why Alex Ovechkin is NHL ’ s best all - time goal scorer . Created with Sketch. At age 30 and playing a rugged style, Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin keeps reaching the increasingly rare 50-goal mark.

What will happen

Assuming Ovechkin stays reasonably healthy, maintains a decent level of production even into his late 30s, and remains in the NHL the entire time, he has a non-zero shot of catching Gretzky:

At his current GPG pace, Ovechkin would tie Gretzky's mark in 485 games, or roughly six seasons.

At a slightly reduced pace of .575 goals per game, Ovechkin would tie Gretzky's mark in 511 games, or roughly 6 1/2 seasons.

At a further reduced pace of .500 goals per game, Ovechkin would tie Gretzky's mark in 588 games, or just over seven seasons.

He may need to play into his early 40s, and it won't hurt to have a playmaking center attached to his hip. But if everything goes right, one of the greatest records in NHL history will one day belong to Alex Ovechkin.

Gretzky believes Ovechkin deserves to win Stanley Cup .
The Great One believes the Great Eight deserves a ring. After Alex Ovechkin notched the 600th goal of his remarkable career Monday night, Wayne Gretzky - one of three players in the history of the game to reach the mark faster than the Russian sniper - said he wants to see Ovi add the one thing that's missing from his resume. "If there's one guy that hasn't won a Stanley Cup that I think deserves it, I think it'sAfter Alex Ovechkin notched the 600th goal of his remarkable career Monday night, Wayne Gretzky - one of three players in the history of the game to reach the mark faster than the Russian sniper - said he wants to see Ovi add the one thing that's missing from his resume.

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Can Alex Ovechkin become the NHL ' s all - time goal - scoring king ? - www.thescore.com

But "The Great One" may one day cede one of his most impressive marks - the league record in goals - to "The Great 8." With his next tally, Washington Capitals uber-sniper Alex Ovechkin will move into a tie with Pat LaFontaine for 53rd on the NHL ' s all - time goals list.

Can Alex Ovechkin become the NHL ' s all - time goal - scoring king ? - www.thescore.com

With his next tally, Washington Capitals uber-sniper Alex Ovechkin will move into a tie with Pat LaFontaine for 53rd on the NHL ' s all - time goals list. Ovechkin is a born goal scorer , and should stay productive for several more seasons.

Alex Ovechkin and becoming the greatest goal scorer in NHL history - www.nhlnumbers.com

Alex Ovechkin , who just turned 30 in September, is already in the top 50 goal scorers in NHL history. Is there any chance he can finish his career as the NHL ’ s all time goal scoring champion?

Can Alex Ovechkin become the NHL ' s all - time goal - scoring king ? - www.thescore.com

But "The Great One" may one day cede one of his most impressive marks - the league record in goals - to "The Great 8." With his next tally, Washington Capitals uber-sniper Alex Ovechkin will move into a tie with Pat LaFontaine for 53rd on the NHL ' s all - time goals list.

#Caps Alex Ovechkin becomes the first player in NHL history to score 20 career Overtime goals pic.twitter.com/3v7PpB3pKl. — Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 21, 2017. Alan May was very happy in Bethesda.

The general point that ties were never a possibility for Ovechkin during his NHL career is a valid one, though. A good post. Now who was the all time OT goals leader by 1999, prior to the first rule change?

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to score 600 goals on Monday, scoring his 600th NHL /Capitals goal in the second period against the Winnipeg Jets at Capital One Arena.

Alex Ovechkin 2017-2018 NHL Season All Goals So Far. became the first NHL player to score at least 40 even-strength goals in one season since Pavel Bure in 1999–2000.[23]. ^ " Ovechkin scores 200th NHL goal in Capitals' loss to Kings ".

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